Cherry Blossoms
by maddie-nee-chan
Summary: Higurashi Kagome's life has never been anything but ordinary. However, everything changes during her first day at Jundo High School, when she meets three people who change her life completely. Everything seems to be all right at first, but soon things start to change. What happens when Kagome comes face to face with her biggest fears? Completely AU, rated K just because. Kagoyasha.
1. Higurashi in High School

**Cherry** **Blossoms**

**Chapter 1**

_Ohayo, minna-san! Maddie here. Right, so I've been planning on writing an InuYasha fanfiction for a very, very long time. However, since I am extremely unimaginative, I couldn't think of any good ideas at all. So I decided to stick with this one idea that is incredibly unoriginal, and I'm sorry about that. Hopefully you'll like it, although it may be a little clichéd. Anyways, hope you enjoy it! And just in case you were wondering, this is my first anime fanfiction and I'm not used to it, so I hope you pardon a few errors and stuff like that. I appreciate any form of criticism though, so go ahead and feel free to say whatever you think. Again, enjoy!_

**DISCLAIMER:** _I don't own InuYasha! (though I totally wish I did...)_

* * *

"Kagome!" Mrs Higurashi called. "It's morning! And what does that mean?"

"I know, I know," Kagome moaned. "It's time to wake up."

"Not just that, but it's also the first day of high school, in case you've forgotten," Mrs Higurashi reminded her, smiling cheerfully.

"What do you look so happy for?" Kagome asked, annoyed. "I'm not excited. Besides, it's _my_ first day, not yours."

"So what? That doesn't mean I can't be excited. Now get up," Mrs Higurashi said, pulling the covers off of Kagome.

"Not fair!" Kagome protested. She sighed. "All right, I'm up. Now what?"

"Get dressed, and quick," Mrs Higurashi ordered.

"Fine, fine," Kagome muttered, stretching.

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, Kagome set off in the direction of her high school.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? If you have any problems, just call me, all right? What if something goes wrong? Don't eat anything that looks inedible, okay? If you have a sudden asthmatic attack, just try to breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, and out—"

"I'll be fine, mum," Kagome insisted. "Just let me go."

"Fine, but make sure nothing goes wrong," Mrs Higurashi frowned.

"Yeah, of course," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. "'Kay, later!"

"See you!"

Kagome walked down the path that led to her high school. What was high school even like? The only things she knew about high school were things she'd read in books and watched in movies. _And honestly_, she thought, _if that's what high school is really like, I'm definitely dead_. Who would she even turn to if she had a problem? Of course, her mother was there, but sometimes her mother behaved like she was as old as Sota. Then again, Sota was probably more mature than her.

Kagome sighed. She looked up into the sky. "What am I going to do?" she whispered.

Silence.

"What am I expecting? It's not like he'll come back anyway," she muttered and continued walking. Her father had died a couple of years ago, but Kagome still felt like he was there, watching over her.

The school was only about five minutes away from her house, but Kagome liked taking her time. After all, the scenery was splendid. The birds chirped excitedly, almost as if they were gossiping among themselves. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, and the petals fell gently to the ground as Kagome walked down the road, as if they were sending her God's blessing.

She entered the classroom. More than half the students there knew each other. Unfortunately for Kagome, she had to go through the tiring process of _making_ friends. All of her friends were in different high schools, and she was the only one out of all of them who was in Jundo High School.

She scanned the class for empty seats. She noticed one that was in the rightmost corner of the class. Straightening her uniform, she walked to her seat.

Sitting down, she nervously tapped her fingers against her desk and waited for her teacher, Yamaguchi-sensei. She looked around her classroom. All the students were talking and laughing at each other's jokes. Well, almost everyone. Other than her, there were only three students who weren't talking to anyone. The first one was a boy. He had black hair which was tied up in a tiny ponytail and wore tiny earrings, along with silver rings on his fingers. He looked calm and peaceful, liked he'd never try to start a fight. At the same time though, Kagome noticed that he was staring at another girl behind him with a very mischievous grin on his face. "He's one I'm _definitely_ going to avoid," Kagome told herself. Her eyes shifted towards the girl behind the boy. She had long hair which was tied into a ponytail. She was beautiful, and she had a look in her eyes that said "touch me and I will send you to your grave", which Kagome admired. And behind _her_, right next to Kagome, sat—or rather, _slept_—a boy with long white hair. Kagome couldn't see his face clearly since he was fast asleep. All she heard was a muffled snore once in a while.

"Good morning, class," a cheerful voice called. "Please take your seats."

All the students shuffled back to their seats.

"As you all know, it's your first day of high school. So, as a method of getting to know each other, the first thing we're going to do today is introduce ourselves. A lot of you know me already, as I taught middle school last year, but for those who don't know: I am Yamaguchi-sensei, and I'm your class teacher whether you like it or not. Right, so now that you know me, I'd like you all to stand up and introduce yourselves one by one. You will get up and say a few things about yourself. This may include your interests, hobbies, favourite television show, anything. Got it?"

"Yes, Yamaguchi-sensei," the class chorused.

"First up—Asahina-san, of course," Yamaguchi-sensei called.

When it was Kagome's turn, Kagome simply mumbled her name and something about reading while the rest of the class snickered. "Kagome," she heard one person say. "What a stupid name!"

"Now, now, everyone," Yamaguchi-sensei said, "please be quiet." He turned to Kagome. "Yes, Higurashi-san, please continue."

"Th-that's okay," Kagome said, blushing, "there's not much I'd like to say about me anyway."

"Well then, please take your seat," Yamaguchi-sensei said, smiling. "Next!"

Kagome sat down again and listened to the others talk. Most of the girls talked about how much they loved shopping and parties and dressing up, and the boys talked about how much they loved sports (and everything except studying, it seemed to Kagome).

"Next up is Kobayashi-kun," Yamaguchi-sensei called.

The boy with the ponytail stood up. "My name is Kobayashi Miroku, and I have only one aim in life—to attain Nirvana, or enlightenment."

The entire class burst into laughter, except for Kagome, the girl who sat behind Miroku and the boy behind her (since he was fast asleep).

"Who the hell would want to attain _Nirvana_? What are you, some kind of monk? What a joke." The people just wouldn't stop judging him.

Kagome, however, looked at him with newfound wonder. He didn't get embarrassed, he simply stood there proudly, with his head held high. "Looks actually _can_ be deceiving," she told herself, silently scolding herself for criticizing him without getting to know him.

"Yoshida-san."

The girl who was sitting behind Miroku got up. She looked truly beautiful, and Kagome even noticed a small spark in her eyes, which she hadn't noticed in most of the other girls.

"My name is Sango, Yoshida Sango," she said quietly. "I don't really…have any interests."

"You must have _some_," Yamaguchi-sensei said in a persuasive tone. "I'm sure you do."

"Well…I do fencing," Sango said.

"There you are," Yamaguchi-sensei grinned. "Is that all?"

"I practice some other unusual sports," she continued. "Sword fighting, gymnastics. I like to imagine I'm preparing for the apocalypse." Her face became bright red seconds after she said that. "I mean, I just like to be prepared."

The class stared at her in shock for a moment. After that moment was over, everyone started whispering things and glancing at her fearfully. Sango sat down again, her face still bright red. She caught Kagome's eye and Kagome smiled at her reassuringly, as if to say, _"Don't worry, not _everyone _thinks you're crazy_." Sango smiled back gratefully.

"And last but not least…" Yamaguchi-sensei started, but then frowned. The entire class turned to look in the direction Yamaguchi-sensei was frowning. However, Kagome already knew what they were looking at, and she had been looking at it for quite some time already.

"Is he asleep?"

As soon as these words left Yamaguchi-sensei's lips, the boy next to Kagome got up, groaning. "Is it already time for school?"

No one could hold back their laughter this time. Even Kagome had to giggle a bit.

The boy opened his eyes groggily. For the first time, Kagome got a good look at him. His golden eyes shone in the sunlight, and his mouth was wide open, which almost made him look like a starving flesh-eating zombie. Kagome shuddered at the thought, but it also amused her. As she looked closely at him, she realized he looked like a regular human being, but there was just one thing that looked rather…odd. As she looked at the top of his head, she noticed another feature that did not normally appear in a regular human being. "Are those…_dog ears_?!" she murmured.

"OH!" he shouted, jumping out of his seat. "How did I get to school?"

The class started laughing again, this time even louder.

"All right, enough joking around, Takahashi-san," Yamaguchi-sensei said seriously. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

"Eh?" the boy stared at Yamaguchi-sensei. "What's with the 'Takahashi-san'? My name is _Inuyasha_, don't go calling me Takahashi-san. It makes me sound like my dad."

"Weird name," a girl said loudly. All the girls around her giggled as well. "And what's with those ears? They're not even cute!"

"My ears? Keh! They're not _supposed_ to be cute, you idiot," Inuyasha growled.

"Now, now, Takahashi-san," Yamaguchi-sensei said calmly, "it's your first day and I understand you're very tired, so I'm pardoning you this time. However, I dislike any form of rude behaviour in my class. Is that clear?"

"Fine, fine, whatever," Inuyasha said, waving his hand. "Anyway—you want to know about me? Let's see. My name is Takahashi Inuyasha, and I really dislike it when people call me 'Inu'. That's all."

"That's it? Nothing else?" Yamaguchi-sensei raised his eyebrows.

"No," Inuyasha said bluntly, shaking his head.

"Okay then, you may sit down. But try not to fall asleep in my class, fine?" Yamaguchi-sensei said sternly.

"Right, sir," Inuyasha said, sitting down.

Kagome stared at him incredulously. A monk and a sword-fighter were strange enough, but a boy with ears who hated being called 'Inu'? He was probably the strangest of them all.

Inuyasha noticed her looking at him and barked, "Whatcha looking at?"

"N-nothing," Kagome said, pretending to be very interested in her Maths textbook.

"You don't have to be frightened, you know," Inuyasha said softly.

Kagome turned towards him, a little surprised. _This guy can be gentle?_

"I'm not," she replied.

"You sounded like you were," Inuyasha argued, not making eye contact with her.

"In that case, I'm sorry," Kagome rolled her eyes. "It won't happen again."

"Don't mock me," Inuyasha snapped.

"Well, if you sound so scary, I really can't help but be scared, you know," Kagome said, frowning.

Inuyasha was taken aback. He looked into Kagome's eyes intently for a few moments. Kagome noticed that as he looked at her, his eyes suddenly became sad. She felt a pang of guilt. Had she hurt his feelings? He turned away. "Sorry," he said.

"What was that all about?" Kagome peered at his face.

"Nothing," Inuyasha muttered. "You just remind me of someone I once knew."

Kagome turned her head towards the front of the class, her face flushed. She shook her head and laughed silently.

"What a weirdo."

* * *

_So, that was the first chapter! I've already written the second chapter, but I do need to add the finishing touches and revise it so that it doesn't end up being a complete failure. Anyways, I hope you liked this one, and that you stick around for all the upcoming chapters! At the moment, I don't know how many chapters there'll be, but I can promise that there'll be a very, very interesting end. _

_Also, I hope you don't mind the fact that I spell the words "behavior" and "favorite" as "behaviour" and "favourite", it's just that I'm more used to spelling it like that. If you have any compliments, questions, suggestions or complaints, feel free to review! Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed it!_

_~maddie-nee-chan_


	2. Introducing Sango

**Cherry Blossoms**

**Chapter 2**

_Konnichiwa again! So, this is the second chapter, and I apologize for updating late, I know I promised to update within a week, but I had a lot of trouble writing this for some reason, and I kept rewriting it over and over again. No seriously, I had like three options for this chapter and eventually I chose this one. Again, I'm sorry if it's short and boring, I'll try to make the others much more exciting.  
Also, thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews! I really appreciate it._

* * *

Sango had never fit in. She was always that quiet girl who sat in the corner of the class and never really got involved in anything that happened in class. She was used to it: being ignored, and being treated like a ghost. No one really ever noticed her. Except for that day, the day someone had actually _smiled_ at Sango.

_Who is that girl?_ Sango asked, staring in wonder at Higurashi Kagome. She was one of the only people who hadn't laughed at her. Other than her, there was Kobayashi Miroku, of course, but he just seemed like a complete pervert to Sango.

Soon enough, it was lunchtime. Sango opened her bag and searched for her bento box. _Damn_, she thought. _Don't tell me I've forgotten it..._

After searching everywhere in her bag, Sango realized it was futile. She'd forgotten it. _Again_. "What am I going to eat?" she groaned.

"You can have some of my food if you want," a voice said from above her.

Sango looked up. To her surprise, it was Higurashi Kagome, holding out her bento box and offering Sango food. Kagome smiled and said, "Try some! My mother made it."

Sango blinked. "Yeah, uh...thanks," she mumbled. Hesitantly, she tried some of the food. It was delicious.

"Do you like it?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"It's amazing," Sango said, her mouth full. "Um, would you mind if I had some more?"

"Of course not," Kagome laughed. "You can have the whole thing if you'd like."

"But then what will you have?" Sango asked.

"I don't need to eat anything," Kagome said. "You're the one who doesn't have anything to eat. Here, have as much as you want."

"Th-thank you, I'm really grateful," Sango mumbled while taking another bite.

After watching Sango eat for a few minutes, Kagome noticed how eagerly she ate the food. "My, my," Kagome giggled. "I think it would be an understatement to say that you are quite hungry."

Sango smiled weakly. "I haven't eaten in a while now, quite honestly."

"Really? How long has it been?" Kagome asked.

"Probably..." Sango counted on her fingers. "Three days?"

"What?!" Kagome stared at Sango, impressed and bewildered at the same time.

"It's not that long, is it?" Sango asked hopefully. "I've been drinking water, but I don't really get the opportunity to eat these days."

"What do you mean?" Kagome frowned. "I don't understand. Surely you must eat a little? I mean, everyone needs to eat."

"Yeah, well..." Sango hesitated. "You don't really want to know why."

"Is it a long story? Because that's what most people say."

"I guess."

"Well, in that case, I'd love to know," Kagome said, her eyes full of excitement. "Tell me _everything_."

"It's really boring," Sango protested. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Fine, let's make a deal," Kagome narrowed her eyes. "If you don't tell me why you don't get to eat, I'm not letting you touch my food. So you better tell me." Kagome grabbed her lunchbox and put it in her bag.

Sango sighed. "Fine, if you insist." She took a deep breath, and soon enough she found herself telling Kagome everything she'd been afraid to share with other people. "When I was younger, my parents, my brother and I were really wealthy. I used to go to this amazing, prestigious school in Tokyo. Everything was perfectly fine: we had enough money to buy food, pay the school fees, and buy whatever we needed in general. But when I turned 14, things changed. My father lost his job. My mother became depressed. The only thing that made her happy was seeing me or Kohaku, my brother. She avoided my father all the time, and when they did talk to each other, it always ended in yet another argument. Kohaku and I didn't know what to do. After a while, my mother became ill, and we didn't know what to do anymore. My family became poorer and poorer, until we weren't even able to pay the school fees. So Kohaku and I were taken out of school, and we studied as much as we could at home. Soon enough, my mother...she passed away. And somehow, this incident triggered something else inside my father. It wasn't even a month before he was gone. No, he hadn't died. But it was almost as if he himself was gone. He just wasn't the same person anymore. He was someone else altogether. I didn't even know it was possible to change so much..but never mind that. He abandoned us in a month, anyway." Sango looked away. She couldn't look into Kagome's frightened eyes. She'd said too much.

"Sango-chan..." Kagome whispered.

"I'm sorry," Sango said, blinking away tears. "I'm probably annoying you and scaring you by telling you all this. I'm really, really sorry. And I don't want your food, but I'm truly grateful you gave me some. I'm glad, but I'm afraid I can't take anymore without feeling guilty."

There was a moment of silence. Sango still hadn't turned back, but she had a feeling Kagome was still sitting there. "Why don't you just go?" Sango asked.

"Because you haven't finished eating," Kagome said, pushing the food towards Sango. Sango turned to see the lunchbox on her desk. She stared at it for a few seconds. _It looks really amazing_, she thought. She was desperate to eat the rest, but she forced herself not to. She pushed the lunchbox away. "Thanks, but I don't need it."

"I insist," Kagome pushed the box back towards Sango. Sango finally looked up. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"My mother once told me that a healthy body leads to a happy mind," Kagome said. "I believe everyone should be happy, and the first step to being happy is to have a healthy body. So eat up, because if you aren't healthy, you'll never be happy, and I won't let that happen. Everyone deserves to be happy." Kagome smiled.

Sango stared at Kagome for a few seconds. Then, she started grinning. "Thank you," she smiled. "You're right, and I'm sorry if I looked really sad. I didn't mean that. But is it really okay to eat your food?"

"Why else would I be giving it to you?" Kagome asked, grinning as well.

Sango laughed, and she ate some more. After a minute, the entire lunchbox was empty, and Kagome, although completely stunned, was really impressed by the speed at which Sango could finish lunch. Sango blushed, but in the end neither of them really cared. For the first time in days, Sango was happy, and Kagome was pleased to know that she was the reason for this (along with her food, of course).

As Sango walked home with Kagome, she realized that she'd been wrong about everything. She'd spent most of her life shutting out people, and not letting them enter her life. She'd spent almost every second of the past two years thinking about how the world was a cruel place and feeling like she didn't matter. But somehow, letting people into your life was easier, and a much better idea than spending your life feeling sorry for yourself. People like Kagome, who didn't care about your mistakes, only about helping you get over your sadness, and making you feel better - those people were rare, and Sango was glad she'd found someone like that.

* * *

_Woo, it's finally over. God, that was a long wait for a lot of you, wasn't it? *sigh* Terribly sorry about that. And I'm even more sorry about the fact that you waited so long for a stupid chapter like this. Yeah, so I guess this chapter is just supposed to be about Sango and Kagome's first meeting and all, and I'm dreadfully sorry if you just wanted me to start the story, but stupid me chose to write a whole chapter about Sango and Kagome, but the good news is now you know Sango's backstory and all. So yeah, I promise you the next chapter shall be better, and I'll try to update it much sooner._

_Anyways, review! And yes, you are allowed to be as nasty as possible, but hopefully you won't have to :P thanks for reading and sayonara till next time!_

_~maddie-nee-chan_


	3. Choosing Clubs

**Cherry Blossoms**

**3**

"So what club are you joining?" asked Sango as Kagome and her walked up to school. It had been a week since their first meeting, and it already felt like they'd known each other for months. "I'm joining either the _judo_ or the _kendo_ club. Or the karate club."

"I'm not sure," Kagome said. "I don't really play that many sports, so it's a little tough for me to choose."

"You don't have to play sports," Sango said. "However, I suggest that you do play some sport."

"No, forget it, I'm not good at anything," Kagome said, waving her hand to indicate that she didn't care.

"That's what you think now," Sango said, "but if you don't try, how are you expected to know whether you'll be good at it or not? I say you give it a try. Besides, someone once told me that a healthy body is the first step to having a happy mind. And sports is one of the best ways to stay healthy."

"When did you become so philosophical?" Kagome muttered. She sighed. "Fine, I guess I'll try it."

"Great," Sango grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Then the first thing we'll do today is find an appropriate club for you."

"Right," Kagome said uncertainly. _This is going to be terrible_, she thought, dreading it already.

The moment Sango and Kagome entered the school building, they noticed a huge crowd that had gathered in front of the bulletin board in the hall. Sango and Kagome shoved past most of the students in order to see what all the fuss was about. When they reached the board, Kagome rolled her eyes. A list of the clubs had been hung up on the board, along with instructions for how to join one and how to create one if necessary. The second Sango saw it, her face lit up. "Perfect!" she said. "This'll make it so much easier to choose the right club for you!"

After spending nearly ten minutes pushing past people, Sango and Kagome finally got to see the list. Kagome didn't pay attention to what was written, but Sango seemed to be observing the list very closely. Five minutes later, Sango pulled Kagome out of the crowd and told her that she had found the perfect club.

"What?" Kagome asked, yawning.

"I think," Sango said, pausing for dramatic effect, "you should join the archery club."

"Archery?" Kagome stared at Sango. _Has she gone crazy?_ Kagome wondered. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, archery, I'm sure," Sango said, nodding.

_So she has gone crazy_, Kagome thought. "I've never...I've never shot an arrow in my entire life," Kagome said.

"So what? You can always learn," Sango said. "Besides, isn't that the point of clubs?"

"I'll think about it," Kagome said, although she honestly did not want to think about it. _I'll just join the Ikebana club_, she thought.

They entered their class. As usual, Kagome went to sit in the right corner of the class, and Sango sat in the seat that was in front of the seat two seats to the left of Kagome. This meant that the only person who Kagome could talk to was Takahashi Inuyasha, the weird guy who sat next to her. And he wasn't much fun to talk to.

As soon as they took their seats, Yamaguchi-sensei entered the classroom. "Good morning, students," he said cheerfully. Kagome mentally groaned. She didn't like Yamaguchi-sensei. It wasn't anything about _him_, it was just that he taught her least favourite subject: Maths. And Maths first thing in the morning was not Kagome's cup of tea.

Sango was good at Maths. She was brilliant, but she did have competition. Kobayashi Miroku, more commonly known as "Houshi-sama" to most of the people in the class, was also one of the most intelligent person in the class, and also her biggest competitor. However, as competitive as Sango was, Kagome noticed that she had a soft spot for Miroku.

"Higurashi Kagome," Yamaguchi-sensei called, interrupting Kagome's thoughts. "Can you tell me the answer to this question?"

Kagome got up and looked blankly at the equation written on the board. _So many x's and y's..._ Maths never made sense to her.

"I-I don't know," she said hesitantly.

"Well, pay attention and maybe you will know," Yamaguchi-sensei said sternly.

During lunch break, Kagome had plans to study, but Sango wouldn't allow that.

"We have to get you signed up for the archery club," Sango said enthusiastically.

"Do you like embarrassing me?" Kagome asked, exasperated. Every time she'd talked to Sango that morning, they'd only talked about the archery club. "Why do you think I'll even enjoy it?"

"You know how sometimes people have secret talents?" Sango asked, and Kagome shrugged in response. "Well, I think you're secretly good at archery."

"But...but...how can I be good at something I've never even tried?" Kagome asked.

"Well then, _try_ it!" Sango said.

Kagome shook her head, but she couldn't stop smiling. Just a few days ago, Sango had been this quiet, shy and antisocial person who never seemed to want to talk to anyone, and now she was this bubbly, overenthusiastic girl who couldn't stop talking. The transition was ridiculous. It was almost as if Sango and Kagome had switched roles.

"Fine, but can't we go later? I have to study right now," Kagome said, turning back to her textbook.

"Later?" Sango asked. "When exactly do you propose on going?"

"Um..." Kagome shifted uneasily. Honestly, she was trying her best to avoid going anywhere, but Sango was persistent. She'd never realized how stubborn Sango could be at times. "Perhaps...never?"

"You do realize it's compulsory to be in a club," Sango said, raising her eyebrows. "And even if you tell them you're not going to be in one, you'll probably never get into a good college, because they won't allow you to graduate if you don't do any activities in high school. And before you say anything," Sango continued, stopping Kagome before she could say a word, "no, there isn't any point in being in a club next year or the year after that. If there's anywhere to start, it's here and now."

"You really are incredible at giving inspirational speeches," Kagome said, "but I can't be in a club if I don't want to be in one."

Kagome felt Sango's heart sink. She felt bad too, but she couldn't help it. Was she being selfish? Maybe she was, but she always believed in following her heart, and ignoring what everyone else thought.

"I think I should be in the _Ikebana_ club," Kagome muttered.

Sango's sharp ears heard her. "Hey, uh, Kagome," Sango said gently. "You know I'm your friend, and I support your decision no matter what, but _please_ don't tell me that you'd rather mess around with flowers than shoot an arrow."

Kagome looked away, embarrassed. "I don't know. I just don't feel like I can do anything other than that."

Sango looked at Kagome for a while. Suddenly, she realized exactly what the problem was. "OH, so this is about your self-esteem, huh?" she asked. "Well, I know the perfect way to boost your self-esteem!"

"Yeah?" Kagome asked, uninterested.

"Join the archery club," Sango said.

Kagome sighed. "Fine, since you're so eager, I'll think about it."

"Okay," Sango said, grinning, waiting for Kagome to answer.

_It can't hurt, can it?_ Kagome thought. _I mean, to be honest, it is a much better option than the Ikebana club...but what if I fail? What if I'm no good? Is it possible to change clubs then?_

Kagome turned to Sango and smiled. "Yeah, I will."

Sango squealed in a way that was very un-Sango-like and hugged Kagome like a five-year-old kid thanking her mom for her birthday present.

"Um, Sango," Kagome coughed. "You're...killing me..."

Sango quickly pulled away. "Whoops, that wasn't supposed to happen," Sango laughed, and Kagome laughed along with her.

* * *

Kagome stood nervously at the door of the archery club. She turned around, only to see Sango giving her a thumbs-up as a sign of encouragement. Kagome turned back towards the door and let out a long sigh. She then turned the door handle.

The room which she entered was a large one, with wooden walls and floors, and long ceiling-to-floor windows. The room was empty, except for a desk in front and a few targets for archery practice, which were lined up at the back. There were also a few bows and arrows next to the targets. Suddenly, Kagome felt this unusual urge to pick up a bow and arrow and just shoot a target. Before she could even think, she was moving towards them, and in no time, she was standing in front of a target with the bow and arrow in her hands. They felt a little heavy, but she didn't care. She just wanted to shoot the target properly. Concentrating on the center, she pulled the arrow back, and positioning it, let go.

The arrow pierced through the air. It seemed to have a mind of its own, a mind that was determined to reach that target no matter what. The arrow hit the target, but missed the center by a centimeter.

"Impressive, but you lack focus," a voice said behind Kagome.

Kagome spun around to see a girl, probably around her age. She wore the same _seifuku_ as Kagome, but for some reason, it seemed like she was royalty, and not just an ordinary high school student. When Kagome saw her face, she was stunned. _This person...she looks just like me!_

The girl seemed just as puzzled as her, but regained her composure quickly. "Who are you?"

"M-my name is Kagome," Kagome said, her hands shaking by her side. "Higurashi Kagome. I-I want to join the club."

"I see," the girl said. She had a serious expression on her face, and Kagome couldn't help but feel like she was looking at her own reflection in the mirror. The girl came closer to Kagome and studied her face.

After a few moments of silence, Kagome spoke. "S-so can I join the club?" Kagome stammered.

"Do you always talk like that?" the girl asked.

"N-no," Kagome said, before realizing her mistake. She straightened herself and said firmly, "I mean, no."

"Well, that's my answer to your question," the girl said, looking Kagome up and down. She then locked eyes with Kagome. "No, you cannot join this club."

"Why not?" Kagome asked.

"It seems that you're trying to impersonate me," the girl said, narrowing her eyes. "I've had to deal with a lot of posers like you, and I honestly _hate_ them. If you think you can pretend to be me, you're going to have to surpass me, and I guarantee you, I cannot and will not be defeated by someone like you."

"I'm sorry, but I think you're mistaken," Kagome said, laughing a little. "I'm not pretending to be you. In fact, I have absolutely no clue who you are. I'm a freshman, and this is my second week at this school, and I know pretty much no one. And I'm just as surprised as you to find that we look similar."

The girl looked at Kagome carefully. "I suppose I believe you. But I still don't trust you."

_Wow, this girl is complicated_, Kagome thought, mentally sighing. "Look, I understand if you don't want me to join, but if that's the case, just say it. I don't care whether you trust me or not."

Kagome wondered when she'd become this brave. The girl then took one last look at Kagome and then gave a small smile. "You're welcome to join," she said calmly. "I apologize for doubting you. You don't seem like a bad person, honestly. Also, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? Sorry. My name is Inoue Kikyo, and I'm the manager of the Jundo High School Archery Club. It's a pleasure to have you join." Kikyo extended her hand. Kagome shook it awkwardly. She didn't know that joining clubs was this formal.

They both pulled away. "We practice everyday from 3 PM to 5 PM, but you are allowed to stay for longer if you wish to," Kikyo said. "Please be punctual. I can't stand it when people are late for classes." Kagome nodded.

"One last thing," Kikyo said, looking Kagome in the eyes. She wasn't smiling anymore. "Don't even _think_ of disobeying me."

Kagome gulped. "Of course not," she managed.

"Good," Kikyo said, smiling again. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Definitely," Kagome said, half-smiling. "See you."

As she walked out the door, she felt chills going up her spine. Something about this Kikyo was quite...strange. She seemed like a mysterious human being, and even though she knew so little about Kikyo, Kagome felt like the two of them would never get along. Also, it seemed like Kikyo didn't even like her. The whole thing made no sense to Kagome. It didn't even make sense to her that she looked like Kikyo.

Sango stood outside, waiting expectantly. Kagome was now certain that it wouldn't go well, and she wanted to shout at Sango and blame her for everything, but she couldn't. Sango was worried about her, and she needed to be grateful. She was in the archery club now, after all.

"So?" Sango asked Kagome, eager to hear the answer.

Kagome forgot all about Kikyo. _The archery club. You're in the archery club. Be happy_. She grinned. "I got in."

"I told you!" Sango said, grinning as well. She gave Kagome a high-five, and the two of them walked back to class, with Sango telling Kagome what an amazing experience it'll be and how she _knew_ Kagome could do it, and how much she'll enjoy it.

Kagome had absolutely no clue how much trouble lay ahead of her.

* * *

_AHHHHH! IT'S FINALLY OVER! Goodness, I can't believe it took me that long to write a chapter, I sort of had writers' block midway so I'm sorry if I didn't do a good job. I'm also really sorry about the fact that I made you wait, I was working on Bits and Pieces too, and also I have (the dreaded) exams for the next two weeks, so I've been studying (yes, I study weeks in advance, that's the kind of nerd I am) and haven't had time for writing fanfiction, unfortunately. I will, however, be on almost all the time after the exams are over (i.e. the 30th!) so be prepared for *a lot* of fanfiction. _

_Anyways, I'll see you! Hope you enjoyed this, and if you didn't, yes, I am here to listen to you scream at me so you are totally welcome to do exactly that. And as usual, I hope you won't have to do that. Even so, thank you for reading!_

_~maddie-nee-chan_


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